Traditional Dagger Tattoo

A dagger on its own is traditionally associated with courage, loyalty and protection. It is also a symbol of danger and sacrifice — a blade carried for defense, or a willingness to fight for what matters.

Most daggers in traditional flash are combined with another symbol, and that is where the meaning shifts. Through a heart it usually means heartbreak, or love that has been wounded; through a rose it can mean love and betrayal, or fighting for love; through a skull it points to mortality and defiance; and with a snake wrapped around it, danger and temptation. As with most traditional tattoos, the meaning varies from wearer to wearer.

• Single dagger — an upright blade with a crossguard and wrapped grip. Simple, bold and easy to place on any narrow area.
• Dagger through heart — a red heart pierced by a blade, often with drops of blood. A classic of traditional flash.
• Rose and dagger — a blade through the flower, one of the defining images of the style.
• Skull and dagger — the blade driven through a skull, life and death in one design.
• Snake and dagger — a serpent coiled around the blade.
• Dagger with banner — room for a name, a date or a word lettered by your artist.
• Black and grey dagger — the same bold outlines with grey shading instead of color.

Daggers are long and narrow, which makes them one of the best designs for slim placements: the forearm, shin, calf, upper arm, ribs and along the spine. Small daggers work on the hand, wrist or behind the ear if the details stay simple. Keep the crossguard and grip bold and the blade clean so the shape still reads clearly years from now.

Your artist will resize the design and adjust the proportions to follow your body — bring the flash as a starting point, not a final stencil.